Kyuhyun receives his schedule of his twenty hours obligatory detention from Ms. Lee when he’s shuffling from his fourth period class to his fifth. Hyukjae and Donghae are teasing him because of it but surprisingly, Kyuhyun doesn’t mind so much that he’s giving up two hours of his free time for the obligatory detention as much as he thinks he’d mind it. Maybe, he’s just hoping to see Jongwoon. Sure, he’s seen him on precalc but it’s not like he can talk to him when the older man’s on the front row and his on the back.

That day, his first two hours will be spent at the gym, cleaning and well, all the maintenance work they can do for the duration of two hours. His schedule is from seventh period to eighth period. When he arrives, thirty minutes before the start of seventh period (well, not that Kyuhyun is hoping to talk to Jongwoon first or something), he sees Jongwoon trying to shoot balls and it’s pretty funny because for the entire thirty minutes that Kyuhyun is just watching Jongwoon secretly, Jongwoon isn’t able to shoot a single ball.

Jongwoon sighs and attempts for the basket again but even after dribbling the ball for a good several seconds and breathing and trying to get the ball in the basket, he fails again.

“Oppa~ You don’t need to worry. You’re going to be the best basketball player in the world!”

Jongwoon laughed.

“You think so?”

“I know so, oppa! So don’t be sad, okay? I’ll always be here for you!”

Jongwoon smiles, remembering that time, when he doesn’t have to worry much about anything else besides trying to reach his unreachable dream. Being a basketball player has always been but an unreachable dream for Jongwoon. Not only he’s not athletically-gifted, but the thing that’s always been a hindrance for him is his heart.

Jongwoon’s thoughts are interrupted when Kyuhyun suddenly walks forward (finally!) and reveals himself. Of course, he’ll never admit he enjoyed watching Jongwoon repeatedly failed in shooting the ball but it’s not what Kyuhyun enjoyed. It’s seeing Jongwoon not giving up and still trying to shoot. That, Kyuhyun thinks, is impressive.

“You haven’t played basketball for a long time?” Kyuhyun asks casually, not wanting so sound like he’s watched Jongwoon not be able to shoot for thirty minutes.

Jongwoon is surprised that Kyuhyun’s already there. He drops his arm from his shooting position and looks at Kyuhyun. “Is it seventh period already?” he asks, avoiding Kyuhyun’s question.

Kyuhyun looks at his wristwatch and nods, “So you like playing basketball?”

Jongwoon chooses to avoid it again, not that he doesn’t like to talk to Kyuhyun but talking about something you want and not being able to get it just like putting alcohol to an open wound. “What do you think we should do? Where will we start?”

Kyuhyun raises his brow at Jongwoon’s avoidance. Of course, he can notice it, but Jongwoon avoiding it only presses Kyuhyun to ask more. “Why haven’t you tried out for the varsity team?”

Now, that catches Jongwoon off guard that he isn’t able to pretend like he isn’t hearing anything that’s coming from Kyuhyun’s mouth about basketball and avoid answering the question but instead, Jongwoon laughs and to Kyuhyun’s ears, Jongwoon’s laugh is better than any music he’s heard for the past week, since he heard Jongwoon sing.

“Me? On the basketball varsity team? Are you kidding me?” Jongwoon says, still laughing.

“No,” Kyuhyun quickly says. “You seem like you really want to play basketball, is all I’m saying.”

“I can’t even shoot!” Jongwoon declares, finally admitting to the fact that he can’t really hide to Kyuhyun, even when he’s Jongwoon or when he’s Yesung although there are things that are better unknown for Kyuhyun. Jongwoon doesn’t want Kyuhyun to live the same way he is living. He wants Kyuhyun to live, for real.

Kyuhyun shrugs. “That can be practiced, you know.”

Jongwoon stares at Kyuhyun, really, really hard but Kyuhyun feels like he’s melting but he doesn’t want to break the gaze. Jongwoon’s eyes, Kyuhyun thinks, are really beautiful. It’s like there’s something in Jongwoon’s eyes that both beautiful and tragic, impressive and hiding and Kyuhyun badly wants to go in and to discover what they really are, not that Kyuhyun can think of any particular reason as to why.

“Do you want it?” Kyuhyun suddenly speaks, sounding all serious that Jongwoon doesn’t find himself playing dumb about what Kyuhyun is asking but instead answering,

“Do you remember when I asked you what it’s like being deprived of doing the things you want to do the most?”

Kyuhyun nods.

“It’s basketball,” Jongwoon finally says, smiling weakly and finally breaking the gaze much to Kyuhyun’s dismay, looking down at the ball on his hand.

Kyuhyun looks at Jongwoon. Well, they’re supposed to be cleaning the basketball balls and sweeping and mopping and making sure the court’s all setup for the practice of the varsity players for the next semester’s Winter Cup season but seeing Jongwoon like that, Kyuhyun personally feels obliged to help Jongwoon. Kyuhyun doesn’t know but he suddenly wants to help Jongwoon and Kyuhyun might just be taking this so seriously but he thinks of what Jongwoon said to him when they’re on the infirmary.

“There are things in your life that you really want to do, right? So do you know what it’s like being deprived to do those things?”

“What?”

“It’s like being deprived of life. Being deprived of life once can be survivable. But imagine because deprived of it over and over and over again. And knowing that tomorrow, it will happen again. Unless, of course, one day you’ll luckily get a heart donor which, I should tell you, doesn’t happen for most people who have con heart diseases’ cases.”

Kyuhyun doesn’t want to deprive Jongwoon of life. He’s not sure if he’s being possessed by an unlikely saint to help people with es over turtles or if he’s being monitored by aliens in the other world (thanks to Donghae feeding his minds that extraterrestrial lives are possible) and using him as an experiment to shower good deeds on earth but after a long time, in Kyuhyun’s life, he feels like he wants to do something and probably, giving Jongwoon a life would be all complicated and sounded a lot difficult so for now, Kyuhyun settles for, I don’t want to deprive him of life.

“Do you want it?” Kyuhyun asks again, looking at Jongwoon’s eyes again.

“Of course, I want it,” Jongwoon says softly, weakly, like he’s resigning himself to Kyuhyun. “But it’s not like I can do it. I don’t have talent, in the first place, and my heart condition…”

Kyuhyun interrupts Jongwoon, “Well, you want it. So what’s more reason should there be? If you want it, go and get it.”

Jongwoon stares at Kyuhyun for a long time and Jongwoon’s wondering if he’s the same Kyuhyun he’s talked as Yesung for almost an entire semester already. Kyuhyun is a child, can be naughty and evil, but Kyuhyun’s smart and Jongwoon doesn’t know if what he’s saying to him now is book-start or heart-smart.

Jongwoon thinks it’s heart-smart.

Jongwoon nods and smiles at Kyuhyun, “You’re right, Kyuhyun-ssi.”

Jongwoon’s eyes may be beautiful when blank but when he’s smiling, it’s beyond what Kyuhyun can process as beautiful. There’s not even a word to describe it without understating how beautiful his eyes are when he’s smiling, Jongwoon’s smile itself and probably Jongwoon as a whole. Kyuhyun doesn’t even know why he’s thinking of Jongwoon’s smile now but for the past few days, Kyuhyun has settled in shrugging and not finding any answers as to his whys. He just ought to do it for now.

“Is there something on my face, Kyuhyun-ssi?” Jongwoon suddenly asks when Kyuhyun isn’t saying anything but is blank-staring at his face, for like longer than necessary and Jongwoon already finds it a little awkward.

Kyuhyun chokes. He literally, literally chokes and coughs like something huge has been stuck on his throat so he can’t speak. Jongwoon worriedly drops the ball and walks towards Kyuhyun, caressing the younger one’s back and asking if he’s alright.

“Hey, are you alright? Are you alright?” Jongwoon asks worriedly, rubbing Kyuhyun’s back with his hand and supporting Kyuhyun’s body as he holds him closer to his body because Kyuhyun’s really coughing like anytime soon, a soul reaper will get him.

Not to mention that Kyuhyun’s face is flustered and adding the fact that Jongwoon’s face is almost on his, Kyuhyun can only do much but cough more.

Kyuhyun seriously doesn’t know what’s wrong with him.

“I – I’m alright,” Kyuhyun says – or tries saying coherently because with Jongwoon’s face a hairbreadth away from his, he feels like if he opens his mouth a little, it will land on Jongwoon’s face directly. And well, that will be more awkward that awkward. Not to mention awkward. Hey, did Kyuhyun already mentioned awkward? Then, comes, “hyung”. It comes later and unexpected and almost inaudible but Jongwoon catches it and Kyuhyun means it.

Kyuhyun stops coughing and Jongwoon pulls away, looking at Kyuhyun, the surprise on his face clearly visible. Sure, Kyuhyun has been calling Jongwoon ‘hyung’ but only when he’s being Yesung. Come to think of it, this is the first time that Kyuhyun has regarded Jongwoon with familiarity.

“Hyung?”

“I figured we’ll be spending a good two weeks together because of our obligatory detention so why don’t we drop the formalities?” And start getting closer. Well, Kyuhyun doesn’t want to say that but deep down (on the deepest realm of his heart), even though he won’t say it out loud, he wants that. “I mean, if that’s alright with you.”

Drop the formalities and start getting closer, Jongwoon thinks at the same time. He knows it’s not safe and the more he gets closer with Kyuhyun as Jongwoon, it will get more dangerous and dangerous. It’s fine with Jongwoon but risking Kyuhyun, too, he’s not so sure.

But looking at Kyuhyun, gazing at him with those round, hazel eyes, and with the hope that he can call Jongwoon ‘hyung’ is enough for Jongwoon to drop everything else, the past and the future, and just appreciate what’s now.

Jongwoon has been calling Kyuhyun a variety of nicknames whenever he’s Yesung. He guesses that’s one of the perks of being the older one; you get to call the younger one whatever you want to call him, Baby Kyu, Game Kyu, Lazy Kyu, and even Evil Kyu but that time is the first time he calls Kyuhyun the way he always does when he’s Yesung.

“It’s alright,” Jongwoon says, audible and soft and clear, and smiling, he adds, “Kyu.”

And to Kyuhyun, hearing Jongwoon calls him that way is better than any music he’s ever heard in his life.

Kyuhyun doesn’t even delve on the fact that when Jongwoon calls him that, it feels like he’s heard it somewhere, from someone before, and it’s so familiar like he’s heard it already from a long time.